TsuruTonTan つるとんたん, Tokyo

With some time left before heading to boarding gates at Haneda airport, we found TsuruTonTan at the public area to fill our tummy. What is better than having a bowl of hearty udon to round up our Japan trip (I’ve had my fair share of ramen throughout this trip already)?

This is a chain originally from Osaka, but has gained followers in Tokyo. Each of their outlet has a different theme and many diners visit their Roppongi outlet for their sleek and modern decor. The outlet at the airport has a relatively conventional zen theme, with contemporary design featuring lots of wooden/bamboo features.

For each of the udon dish, you can choose from regular thickness or thin noodles and the udon comes in a ridiculously large bowl. I had placed a pair of regular chopsticks at the edge of the Shabu-Shabu beef udon to show the comparative size.

What caught my attention was the availability of cold udon. I ordered the Chilled Dipping Tenzaru Udon with Tempura. For this cold udon, the staff recommended to choose the thick udon. The wooden ‘tub’ was equally massive with the cold udon sitting pretty on a bed of crushed ice. Other than the difference in the type of noodles used, the other steps of eating chilled noodles are the same as the soba with a dipping tsuyu where you can add scallions, ginger and sesame to adjust the taste. The udon was really chewy and al-dente.

I am so in love with Haneda airport not only for its close proximity to Tokyo, but also the variety of good restaurants housed there.